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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP
The agreement would have expired next Friday, but things are going on now: After Russia, Joe Biden's new US government has also decided to extend the nuclear disarmament treaty “New Start” for another five years.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken announced this.
"President Biden has promised to protect US citizens from nuclear threats by restoring US leadership in arms control and in the fight against the proliferation of nuclear weapons," said Blinken.
"Today the USA took the first step towards implementing this promise by extending the New Start Treaty with Russia by five years."
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the extension of the agreement last Friday.
Immediately after Biden was sworn in, the Russian Foreign Ministry proposed an extension of five years without any preconditions.
Putin had previously only offered an extension of one year.
Blinken: This is just the beginning
Under Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, the US had reduced its disarmament agreements with Russia.
So they got out of the INF treaty on nuclear disarmament in the medium-range range.
The USA also terminated the Open Skies Treaty on arms control from the air, and Russia did the same.
Blinken emphasized that the extension of »New Start« was just the beginning of meeting the security challenges of the 21st century.
Further negotiations should be conducted with Russia on "all" Russian nuclear weapons.
Arms control talks must also "reduce the danger posed by China's modern and growing nuclear arsenal," he said.
The New Start Treaty of 2010 is the last nuclear disarmament agreement between the US and Russia.
Both countries undertake to limit the number of their nuclear warheads to a maximum of 1550 and 800 carrier systems respectively.
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as / AFP
